On This Page

Chuck a Luck

Introduction

Chuck a luck is simple dice game, in which the player has various wagering options on the outcome of the roll of three dice. In Las Vegas it can be found in the New York New York and the Pairs. In Malaysia and Singapore the game is known as "Mini Dice." For those familiar with sic bo, chuck a luck is like a simplified version.

The chuck a luck table consists of a shaker, inside of which are three dice, and a table with various betting options. Like the big six wheel the players stand up to play. The table placement often suggests it is meant to entice people to make a spur of the moment bet or two as opposed to playing for an extended period of time.

Following are the bets available in Chuck a Luck.

Single Number

The player may bet on any single number from one to six. It pays according to the number of dice that land on the chosen number. One instance pays 1 to 1, and two pays 2 to 1. I've seen three instances pay everything from 3-1 to 12-1. The following table shows the odds if three instances pay 12 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.70%.

Single Number Bet — Liberal Pay Table

MatchingDice

Pays

Combinations

Probability

Return

3

12

1

0.004630

0.055556

2

2

15

0.069444

0.138889

1

1

75

0.347222

0.347222

0

-1

125

0.578704

-0.578704

Total

216

1.000000

-0.037037

The next table shows the house edge of the single number bet according to what three instances of the chosen number pays.

Single Number Bet
House Edge

Three of aKind Pays

House Edge

12

3.70%

11

4.17%

10

4.63%

9

5.09%

8

5.56%

7

6.02%

6

6.48%

5

6.94%

4

7.41%

3

7.87%

Field Bet

The field bet is a simple wager that pays even money if the total of the three dice is within a winning range. I have seen two different versions, which I address below.

The liberal version wins if the total of the three dice is 5 to 8 or 13 to 16. The lower right cell of the table below shows a house edge of 3.70%.

Field Bet — Liberal Version

Event

Pays

Combinations

Probability

Return

Win

1

104

0.481481

0.481481

Lose

-1

112

0.518519

-0.518519

Total

216

1.000000

-0.037037

The stingy version pays if the total is 3 to 7 or 13 to 18. The lower right cell of the table below shows a house edge of 15.74%.

Field Bet — Stingy Version

Event

Pays

Combinations

Probability

Return

Win

1

91

0.421296

0.421296

Lose

-1

125

0.578704

-0.578704

Total

216

1.000000

-0.157407

Under 10/Over 11

The Under 10 and Over 11 are a pair of bets on the total of the three dice. The names of the bets pretty much describe them. The odds are the same. The table below shows a house edge of 25%.

Under 10/Over 11

Event

Pays

Combinations

Probability

Return

Win

1

81

0.375000

0.375000

Lose

-1

135

0.625000

-0.625000

Total

216

1.000000

-0.250000

Probabilities

The following table shows the number of combinations and probability for all possible sums of the total of three dice.